Hi guys I was hoping someone can provide some insight into NEU’s ranking and prestige. I am doing pre-med so I am not really worried about the prestige as I know it is a great school but a lot of people I know call the school a “safety” and gamed the rankings system. Even on Reddit there are lots of people talking really low about NEU due to how it used to be a commuter school back then which has slightly bothered me. Did I make the right decision because I am starting to rethink my decision a little?
Yes, until about 25 years ago Northeastern was primarily a commuter school. So were Boston University, Boston College, NYU, UCLA, Berkeley and USC among others. There is nothing wrong with that. All have increased selectivity in the past quarter century. And while these schools will deny it if they suspect that you are using them as a safety you will be denied or waitlisted. That is why if you have topmost stats there is a need to show interest. None of these colleges is a safety for anyone these days.
Northeastern has always had a good reputation in New England and the mid-Atlantic states, primarily in the STEM fields. It had and still has a reputation as pre-professional. While most large universities are pre-professional Northeastern is more so, and they make no apologies for that.
Northeastern “gamed the system” by building new facilities, hiring additional faculty and cutting class size. They have also increased research funding dramatically in the past 15 years. They have retained and enhanced the coop/experiential learning model that has existed for over a century.
Reddit tends to attract malcontents/chronic complainers on most of its college subreddits. Some of the redditers who disparage Northeastern may have been denied admission. There was a poster here on CC who did that and advised applicants not to attend. Looking back on her posting history (which she didn’t know was possible) Northeastern had been her dream school until the day she got the rejection letter! She did not appreciate my pointing that out in a post.
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I think this article does a good job explaining how and why NEU has risen fast in the most recent rankings and why some might question whether it’s warranted or not and as a private university, if the high cost of attendance is justified?
Everyone seems to agree that too much attention is put on college rankings, that the rankings are flawed and meaningless, and that the numbers can be manipulated to artificially enhance a college’s standings in the rankings. Nonetheless almost everyone pays attention to the rankings and despite denials, gives them credence.
Northeastern has the misfortune to be located in a town where academic standing is always big news in the way that college football and basketball rankings are news in lots of other towns. So, when Boston Magazine decided to do an article about NEU 6 years ago, it got a lot of attention and has been referenced a number of times since. Unfortunately for NEU, they became the exemplar - the whipping boy, if you will - for what many like to complain about and what many others are also doing.
Here’s the article that got everyone talking about NEU. Judge for yourself.
https://www.bostonmagazine.com/news/2014/08/26/how-northeastern-gamed-the-college-rankings/
@Bill Marsh That is actually a positive article about Northeastern once you get past the clickbait headline. The one change in the methodology that they did persuade USNews to do was using the 6 year graduation rate instead of the 4 year rate. The 4 year rate hurts colleges that have coop programs, although most programs at NU can be done in 4 years now.
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I agree, Tom. I didn’t mean to imply that it was negative. I thought you did a great job of explaining the situation at Northeatern in your earlier post.
My wife attended law school at NEU and she did say the best things about the college were it’s co-ops and the fact the college is located in the Boston area.
The last thing I will say that comparing UC Berkeley as commuter college like NEU is a stretch. As long as I can remember and being born and raised in NorCal, UCB has always been considered a top national, if not international, world-class university. It has a long track record of excellence. NEU is a relative newcomer and may or may not get there. Time will tell.
I went to high school in New England in the 80’s and when my son first chose was NEU it took me a bit to get past me opinion from long ago. He will be starting his second year in the fall and has had a great experience so far (except having to come home in March). He is a CS major, and his peers are bright and hardworking. I am sure it may have been a safety school for some of the kids but I do not think that takes away from the education and experanice.
Fifty years ago a Mass. guidance counselor used to refer to Northeastern as “the great vacuum on Huntington Ave” when applicants were rejected at another University or college. In those days, BU did not have the impressive faculty and student body that they have today.
There are some lessons to be gleaned from this:
Lesson One:
Time does not stand still and change happens! Old reputations can hang around for many years after the admissions picture has dramatically changed! Remember to check the latest data and not to rely on dated memories… do your fact checking!
Lesson Two:
Northeastern (and probably BU) were doing a great job those many years ago! NE was low cost CO-OP with a large engineering school and all the courses you needed, but no glamour. It was a commuter school. Criminal Justice and Physical Therapy programs were also highly regarded by professionals in the field, but still no glamour! Look into current program details, What are they doing and how do they do it?
There is no substitute for individual effort. “Rankings” are quick and easy, but what are your criteria?
A lot of you have really good insight and info into this. I was just curious what the general reputation was for the school. I know on USNEWS it is a top 40 school tied with BU and right behind BC and tufts. However, whenever we mention the top schools in Boston, from what I have observed, Harvard, MIT, BC, and BU are always mentioned but northeastern rarely ever make the list which seems weird. I would assume it is because all the other schools have been good for a long time and maintaining prestige whereas NEU has only risen as of late.
When BU and BC went national they did not have to deal with the question “Where’s that?” The answer was in their names. Although there was and maybe still is confusion as to which is the Catholic one.
Northeastern was always “good” as @retiredfarmer pointed out but chose to maintain a local/regional focus longer than BU and BC.
Case in point:
When I graduated from a prestige conscious private secondary school in 1963, BU was the a University that would accept average graduates and it was primarily known for its “college of basic studies” where less prepared students received a solid, basic education. My brother’s best friend from HS was a student there. His college friends at his apartment parties were not the scholars you find at BU today. They did, however, have a law and a medical school which have been anchors for great Universities for years. The engineering was only added about 35 years ago.
If a University successfully market’s itself and builds a brand name, applicants follow and the brand grows just as it does with other enterprises.
This virus may put some very respectable colleges out of business as the economy tries to recover. Some of these small colleges have a lot to offer, but are not supported by the taxpayer and do not have large endowments to weather the finical storm ahead of us. Many factors contribute to the success and demise of an institution.
In 1963 even Brown University and Columbia University were concerned about their shrinking applicant pools. Harvard BS made a case study of Brown after their record setting applicant recovery. Not everything is Plymouth Rock!
Look under the hood!
I go to Northeastern and in the North East region we are well known and people think very highly of our school and our programs!
if you are doing pre-med you can major in anything. It need not be anything in STEM or even humanities for that matter. It can be English or anything. My point was not to say that BC is not a good school for pre-med. All three are regarded as great schools and academic peers. It really comes down to your cost of attendance, your major, and I guess your personal opinion on the vibe you get from each school.